LIVESTRONG Scores Naming Rights To Kansas City's New MLS Stadium
Wow. Livestrong has signed a groundbreaking six year deal to partner with Kansas City-based Sporting Club to name its stadium and event complex "LIVESTRONG Sporting Park." Sporting Club, the parent organization of Kansas City's Major League Soccer team, will host a variety of sports and entertainment events at the new, 18,500 seat stadium, including all home matches for the MLS team.
Livestrong is the brand of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, created in 1997 to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action. For the duration of the agreement, a portion of all stadium revenues, including ticket sales and concessions, will fund the foundation's advocacy work.
"Livestrong is honored to bring its mission to Kansas City through Livestrong Sporting Park," said Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, champion cyclist and Livestrong founder and chairman. "Professional sports provide a powerful vehicle to affect positive change in the world. Livestrong's partnership with Sporting Club gives us an innovative opportunity to advance the cancer fight in this region and we are eager to get started."
"Sports are a unifying force in bringing people together," said Doug Ulman, Livestrong president and CEO. "Livestrong Sporting Park is more than just a stadium -- it's the first athletic venue in the world with a social change mission and offers an ideal arena to champion the cancer cause."
"We're proud of Kansas City's history as a philanthropic leader and we believe that this innovative partnership continues that legacy," said Robb Heineman, CEO of Sporting Club. "The fight against cancer is being waged around the world, every hour of every day. So while the fight doesn't take time out for entertainment, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park provides each of us with the opportunity to stay involved in the cause and celebrate many of those things worth fighting for -- the support of community, the thrill of victory and events that bring us all together."
The stadium and accompanying event complex will also be 100 percent tobacco free.
This isn't the first time a major sponsorship agreement has been used to benefit a non-profit organization. In 2006, Barcelona F.C. announced a five year agreement with UNICEF, which placed the UNICEF logo on the team's jersey. The agreement called for the club to donate €1.5 million per year to UNICEF. As more details of the LiveStrong deal emerge, it will be interesting to learn more about how the deal came about and the structure that allowed a cause to put its name on Sporting Club's most valuable asset. Tune in to LivestrongSportingPark.com for the live announcement this afternoon.
